Cover for dump body vehicles



y 1932- H. w. HELMS 1,356,281

COVER FOR DUMP BODY VEHICLES Filed May 9, 1931 In z/ezzzfozt 2%!" %fi//72s.

Patented May 3, 1932 PATENT OFFICE HARRY W. HELMS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HIGHWAY TRAILER COM- PANY, OF EDGEBTON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN COVER FOR DUMP BODY VEHICLES Application filed May 9,

This invention pertains to vehicles having a laterally tiltablo dump body especially designed for refuse collection and similar work, and. more particularly the present invention relates to means for enclosing the load-parry: log space of the body. The main ob ect oi this invention is to provide an improved. cover construction that is comparatively simple, light in weight and which may be quickly and n easily manipulated for movement to and from operative position. Another ob ect 1s to provide an improved cover of this character which is mounted independently of the body and is composed of a plurality of inde- Il pendently movable cover sections adapted to be nested in telescoped relation at either side of the body so as to permit unhampered movel'uont of said tilting body in opposite direction for discharging its load. A further object to provide an improved cover construc ion l'lllflllg a plurality of independently lllOVZllllB cover sections arranged for exposing a limited portion of the load-carrying space of the body at will. 0011' s in certain elements and :leatures of construction in combination, as herein shown and described, as 'ndicated by the claim.

in the drawiu.

lligure l. is a view in side elevation of a cover embodying the present invention; the view being broken for condensation at one side of the break showing the cover in closed position \rhile at the other side showing the cover sections telescoped one in another to 36 expose a portion of the load-carrying space of the body,

Figure 2 is an end view of the vehicle provided with my improved cover construction with the cover shown in closed position, and

49 is taken bstantially as indicated at line,

2 2. on Figure l.

lligure 3 is a detail transverse section taken substai'itially as indicated line, 33, on

Figure Referring now in detail to the drawings, the vehicle chosen for illustration is of conventional design and includes the usual upvmrdly open hopper body, 5, carried on curved rockers. 6, which are mounted for 50 movement on transversely extending rails, 7,

.4. il l:

The invention 1931. Serial No. 536,106.

secured to the vehicle main frame, 8, These rockers which. are formed about a comparatively large radius support the body and are arranged to permit the body to be rolled laterally to either side for discharging its load. The cover for the body is mounted independently thereof so as not to alter its normal center of gravity and, as will hereinafter appear, said cover is so designed and arranged for movement to a position at which the body may have free and unobstructed dumping action. It is to be understood that the body is normally locked in upright position to the frame by any suitable locking mechanism.

The cover as seen in the drawings is composed of a plurality of sections, and more particularly two arcuate sections normally extending longitudinally over opposite portions of the load-carrying space of the body, 5, in closed position, and adapted to be telescoped one within the other or one over the other in opening; and for convenience they may be termed outer section, 10, and inner section, 11. The outer cover section, 10, is formed about a radius slightly larger than the inner section, 11, to afford proper clearance between them in their telescopic movements. Each cover section is provided with a skeleton frame, 12, of any suitable light weight construction, to which is secured a lightweight covering, 13, such as canvas, or the like, or even light weight sheet metal. The cover sections are each provided with supports at the ends of the body, which may consist of single members, or as herein shown as several radially extending supporting members, 14. The supporting members of the outer section are secured to a plate, 15, which is pivotally supported in a mounting bracket, 16, secured to a cross member, 17, on the main frame, 8. The supporting members of theinner section are positioned nearer the body than the n1embers of the outer section, and are connected to a plate, 18, which is coaxially pivoted with plate, 15, in the bracket, 16, between said plate, 15 and the body. Since the cover sections swing about a common pivot or center, they travel in true arcs and insure proper telescoping relation to each other so as to permit either cover section to be freely moved to the opposite side of the body. Due to the pivposition of the latter for uncovering the dump otal support for these cover sections being body at one side, the dump body rocked for substantially central with respect to the body, dumping at that side, swings clear of the two the cover sections are necessarily unbalanced telescoped cover members.

and normally tend to assume positions over either side of the body as clearly shown in the drawings.

The respective cover sections, 10 and 11, are designed so as to extend beyond the center of the body when in closed position, resulting in a partial overlapping of the outer cover section, 10, on the inner section, 11, and providing an effective closure. The ends of each cover section are also enclosed by sheet material, 19, preferably the same as the top, 13,

Ieaxtending somewhat below the edges of the ody.

These cover sections are supported in closed position or limited in their extreme opening movements by stop brackets, 20, on the main frame,8, adjacent the ends of the body, engaging the supporting members, 14, of said cover sections, as may be seen in the drawings. Both of the cover sections are arcuately formed with a radius large enough, so that when the covers are both telescopically positioned on either side of the body, said body may clear the cover sections as it is rolled laterally (to the side opposite said covers) to discharge its load; the path of travel of an edge of the body in one direction being indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.

In the present construction either cover section may be quickly and easily pushed to the opposite side of the body to uncover a portion of its load-carrying space. It will be understood that more than two telescopically arranged cover sections may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

In combination with a vehicle having a main frame, an upwardly open laterally tiltable dump body mounted thereon, the main frame having transversely extending track rails for supporting the dump body and the dump body having supporting rockers by which it is mounted on said track rails for rocking transverselyin lateral dumping; a cover for the body comprising two arcuate sections adapted to be telescoped with each other in the direction of their arcuate extent, and for that purpose having radial supports by which they are pivotally mounted on the main frame for swinging over the pivot axis substantially in the path of their arcuate form, the radius and length of said radial supports exceeding the dimension of the dumping body from the upper edge of either side thereof to the point on the circumference of the rocker at the opposite side which is rocked into contact with the track rail at the extreme dumping position of the dump body, whereby when one of said arcuate'sections is telescoped with the other at the normal HARRY W. HELMS. 

